Here at the Straight Talk Blog, we want to wish all of our readers a happy and safe 4th of July. Sometime this weekend, we encourage you to reflect on your own financial independence. For some of you, this may be something you’ve already achieved through smart saving, while for others it may be an ongoing goal that you’re working toward.

Financial independence means different things to different people. Some think of financial freedom as a matter of being solely accountable for how you earn, spend, and save money. Others, such as Get Rich Slowly’s J.D. Roth, define it as living comfortably while earning money through channels other than traditional employment. David Ning, on the other hand, sees it as an ever-evolving state of mind.

However you define it, you may find it’s worth taking some time this holiday weekend to think about the money lessons you’ve learned–or are still learning–that can bring the peace of mind so many people want.

What does financial independence mean to you? Is it something you’ve achieved by laying out an intelligent saving strategy?

Photo courtesy of Flickr user aloha75